Hernia repairs are among the more common surgical operations which may employ a mesh fabric prosthesis. Such mesh fabric prostheses are also used in other surgical procedures including the repair of anatomical defects of the abdominal wall, diaphragm, and chest wall, correction of defects in the genitourinary system, and repair of traumatically damaged organs such as the spleen, liver or kidney.
Mesh fabrics for use in connection with hernia repairs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,292,328, 4,769,038 and 2,671,444. Knitted and woven fabrics constructed from a variety of synthetic fibers and the use of the fabrics, in surgical repair are also discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,054,406; 3,124,136; 4,193,137; 4,347,847; 4,452,245; 4,520,821; 4,633,873; 4,652,264; 4,655,221; 4,838,884;. 5,002,551; and European Patent Application No. 334,046.
It is desirable for a surgical mesh fabric prosthesis to exhibit certain properties and characteristics. In particular, the mesh should have a burst strength sufficient to ensure that the mesh does not break or tear after insertion into a patient. The mesh should also have a pore size which allows tissue to penetrate or "grow through" the mesh, after the mesh has been inserted into a patient. In addition, the mesh should be constructed so as to provide memory (ability to resume it's shape after deformation), thereby facilitating the insertion of the mesh prosthesis into a patient during a surgical operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a knitted surgical mesh having a high burst strength and large pore size, which has a greater flexibility than known knitted surgical mesh fabrics.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from the description and claims which follow or may be learned by the practice of the invention.